On Going Direct

Although I've tried using Kindle Unlimited a couple of times for my books, I prefer to go wide with them to serve as many readers as possible. In the past, I've used distributors such as Smashwords and Draft2Digital (I highly recommend the latter over the former). Distributors make it easy to reach multiple sites with one process. However, publishing directly to sites such as Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Google Play, and Apple also has advantages. You can have greater control over pricing, gain access to special site-only promotions, and receive higher royalties. So last month, I stopped using Draft2Digitial for the distributors listed above and started going direct.

So far, it's been a tedious process republishing my work at different vendors. Kobo and Barnes and Noble were the easiest, since they accepted the files I'd used elsewhere. Google and Apple are more complicated. I have to submit my manuscripts to Google as PDFs and to Apple as epubs. While Word does a straightforward job of creating PDFs from Word documents, I have to use a conversion program like Calibre to create EPUB files. This worked for some of my books, but others got rejected for embedded font errors, and I haven't figured out why. So Apple currently has only one book out of my five-book fantasy series and Lyon's Legacy but not the sequel, Twinned Universes. I'll have to do some more research to figure out what the problem is.


Once I get everything republished properly, then I have to convince Amazon to set the first books of my series back to permafree. Then I can promote them to encourage readers to get the rest of the series.

If you plan to publish your books on multiple sites, I recommend gathering all the information and files you need before you start. It's not just manuscripts and covers; it's blurbs, ISBNs, and other information such as original publication dates. I wound up collecting some of this information in a single document I can use as reference later.

If you're an indie author, do you publish just on Amazon or other sites too? What's your favorite store for ebooks? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

Bookstores Then and Now

A few months ago, my son was invited to a birthday party. I didn't want to drive back and forth between home and the party, so I hung out in a Barnes and Noble only a few minutes away to get some writing done. I found out this Sunday that the bookstore will close in a couple of weeks. Although I've only been in that location once (there are others closer to me), it made me think about how my relationship with bookstores has changed.

I used to spend a lot more time at bookstores, particularly Barnes and Noble (and also Borders before it went bankrupt). It wasn't just about getting books, though once I found one novel I wanted I'd typically end up buying several. I also enjoyed hanging out in the cafe section, either by myself or with Eugene, but almost always with a drink and/or a treat from the cafe. Bookstores and coffee shops are great places to hang out when you want to get out of the house but want to do something low-key. Of course, I had more time and money for bookstores before I was a mother. (After recovering from my C-section, one of the first places I took Alex was to the local Barnes and Noble.)

These days, I have very little free time to hang out in bookstores. I'm also less inclined to buy paperbacks; most of my reading is either e-books or library books. When I was at the Barnes and Noble, I did browse for a bit after finishing my short story. In particular, I wanted to see if they carried an anthology with one of my stories (they didn't). Most of my book sales are e-books through Amazon, so while it would be nice to see my name on a book cover in a book store, it's not something I feel strongly about. I left that Barnes and Noble having only bought food and drink. These days, I have other places to help me feed my brain. I'm not surprised that one Barnes and Noble is closing; if anything, I'm amazed the chain hasn't gone bankrupt yet. It will be interesting to see what happens after that.

How do you feel about Barnes and Noble? Do you like it, or do you prefer independent bookstores? How often do you visit bookstores, and has that changed? Feel free to answer in the comments.

Barnes and Noble to Carry (Some) Indie Books

One of the disadvantages of being an indie author is difficulty getting your paper books distributed by physical bookstores. It can be done, but it might require printing your books through a different service and paying for returns. Barnes and Noble announced yesterday plans to carry select indie books in their stores (you can currently order indie paper books on their website). Here's the original article posted on GoodeReader; you can read commentary from other indie authors on The Passive Voice. 

While this sounds like a great deal for indie authors, it's necessary to consider the details. To qualify, the eBook versions must be published through Nook Press (which means I'd have to cease using Draft2Digital to distribute to B&N--and I can't set a book to permafree unless I use the distributor) and sell at least 1000 books a year. Most of my sales are on Amazon; I have very few on Kobo, Apple or B&N. I still distribute my books there partly to give my readers as much access as possible and partly because I don't want to be 100% reliant on Amazon. Even if a book does qualify, there's no word yet about terms, such as number of books per store, how long they will be displayed, and what the return policy for unsold books will be. While I see this as a step forward for indie authors, I also have my doubts about the long-term health of Barnes & Noble. If they manage to avoid going the way of Borders, they may be forced to do that by reducing their shelf space even further and selling things other than books.

Let's take a quick poll: If you buy paper books, where do you buy them from? Please feel free to comment below.